Build a Group home for 200 Indians with Autism

The country was slowly opening up after the lock down and it was more than 6 months since any of the residents had stepped out of Ananda. Even when we used to take our residents for picnics and outings, it was our wish to take them for a longer trip. Our past experiences of taking them on car rides to nearby places gave us an idea that our residents would definitely enjoy a trip but at the same time we were also aware about the planning and preparation we need to put behind it. 

So by early February planning started happening like deciding where should the destination be ,for how long should the trip be, which places will be selected for the local sight-seeing etc. After considering many factors Jaipur, Rajasthan was chosen for the visit. Once everything was sorted out it was time for the next big step, which was letting our residents know about the trip. The team at Ananda wrote a social story adding lots of visuals and then the social story was shared with the adults. Once social story was shared, the next step was to mark those dates on the calendars of the residents. After that staff members made it a point to read out the social story twice a day and whenever the residents checked their calendar they were reminded of the upcoming tour with a lot of enthusiasm. 

Finally the big day arrived, everything was set, all bags ready, foods for the journey were packed and all the residents were eagerly waiting, but then came the first hurdle....the bus wasn’t there at Ananda on time. The team was supposed to leave  by 7 am, but  even at  8:30 they were still in their living room all dressed up. The staff members quickly had a conversation with the residents after gathering information why the bus was late. Finally after almost two hours of waiting they started their onward journey. Since it was a five hour long journey all the residents were prepared for the same with a work system. On the way they had a lot of fun by singing songs, playing antakshari and having light snacks. They also halted on the way for tea/coffee. Our residents not only cooperated, but also enjoyed the whole journey. The team reached Jaipur at around 2:30 pm and checked into the hotel. 

In the evening they went for sightseeing . They also visited the local market and did some shopping. Some of our residents were very enthusiastic and purchased gifts for themselves as well as their loved ones. On the second day they visited Jalmahal , Amer Fort and Hawa Mahal. All our residents greatly enjoyed it. In the evening they had a dinner feast at one of the ex-colleague’s house in Jaipur. All enjoyed the delicious Rajasthani food followed by music and dance. Third day was the  last day of the Jaipur trip , so staff members reminded residents about their return journey to Ananda by giving them a work system and showing it in their calendar which was already marked. 

On day 3, they started the return journey to Ananda. Again it was a long journey but everybody enjoyed it by singing, taking loads of pictures, munching snacks etc. The expected time to return back was by 9 pm, but the diversions and traffic jam delayed it. Staff members quickly explained the situation to our residents and all of them cooperated really well - they waited nicely and had their dinner inside the bus . Finally they reached Ananda very late. The short trip to Jaipur ended well and they all made beautiful memories to cherish.